A plane has was diverted to Stansted Airport after being 'struck by lightning'.

It happened today at around 3pm on a Ryanair flight which was given an emergency escort down the runway.

The plane had just left Birmingham for Perpignan in France but was hit by a bolt shortly after taking off.

Tim Begley, who was a passenger on board the flight tweeted: "Not a great start to the holiday... Plane struck by lightning and diverted to Stansted, full on emergency escort down the runway.

"All clear given though, so just waiting for clearance to get going again!"

This passenger tweeted what happened on the plane

A Stansted Airport spokesperson: "The plane was travelling from Birmingham to Perpignan and shortly after taking off it was struck by lightning.

"It was only a minor strike and the pilot had to land at Stansted because they don't have the specialist kit to make the checks in Perpignan.

"It was assessed and has been given clearance to fly because the strike didn't cause any damage to the plane."

A Ryainair spokeswoman added: “This flight from Birmingham to Perpignan experienced a suspected lightning strike on take-off and diverted to London Stansted as a precaution. The aircraft landed normally, where it was inspected by Ryanair engineers, cleared to return to service, and departed to Perpignan shortly afterwards.”